Southern Ohio Medical Center (SOMC) and the Ohio University College of Osteopathic Medicine (OU-COM) hosted a dinner for local junior and senior pre-medical college students Feb. 10 at the Friends Community Center.

During the dinner, students were given the opportunity to learn more about the medical school application process by speaking with OU-COM staff members and current physicians, medical students and residents at SOMC.

“As a teaching hospital, SOMC partners with OU-COM to host medical students and residents in the fields of OB/Gyn, Family Practice and Emergency Medicine,” explained Dr. Terry Johnson, director of the SOMC Family Practice Residency and assistant dean of OU CORE. “We are very invested in our area’s youth and their aspirations to seek medical education and careers, which is why we wanted to provide them with a better perspective through this event.”

Presentations were made by Dr. Kendall L. Stewart, vice president of SOMC Medical Affairs and Dr. John Schriner, director of admissions at OU-COM. A question and answer series was also available at the end of the event.

“The best received portion of the evening was the panel session, which allowed pre-med students to ask those currently in the program about medical school and medicine as a career choice,” Dr. Johnson continued. “Overall, I was very pleased with this as a first effort. It demonstrated yet another aspect of SOMC’s ongoing commitment to serve the people of our area and I hope that we can make it an annual affair.”